Stricter discipline for monks demanded by Panchen Lama

The 11th Panchen Lama called for a stricter obedience to Buddhist precepts among young monks and living Buddhas on Sunday as the senior living Buddha seeks to enforce stricter regulation on clergy within Tibetan Buddhism.

During a panel discussion at the Fourth World Buddhist Forum, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu said he has given serious thought to a stricter regulation on principles among monks and living Buddhas.

"We have some thoughts on how to enforce regulations on precepts … especially how to better restrain young monks and living Buddhas from breaking them," he said at a sub-forum on Buddhism and Youth.

The 25-year-old is among more than 1,000 Buddhist masters, practitioners and scholars who converged at the Fourth World Buddhist Forum at Lingshan Mountain in Wuxi, Jiangsu province.

He gave the example of roaming monks, many of whom have broken precepts, and it remains a challenge for the religion to monitor and rectify problems.

"It would also be difficult for any other authority or the police to seize them if they do not break the law," he said.

A strict obedience of Buddhism teaching is among the most important requirement for Buddhists, and the religion should devote more efforts to the education of the youth to enable them to resist outside temptations, he said.

"Social changes have also resulted in changes in the system and orders within temples. It is important to adapt to the changes in time," he said.

He also stressed the importance of the training of young talents, as it would "decide what kind of role Buddhism can play in society".

"We should build a defense for them from both the level of faith and the level of regulation and system," he said.

According to the Panchen Lama, many Tibetans were enrolled in temples when they were six or seven years old and formally ordained in their early 20s.

He also highlighted the importance of enabling young Buddhists to learn the doctrines through practice.

"The key is to ensure the practice and doctrine learning of the young Buddhists," he added.

According to a white paper released by the central government in September, there are 1,787 religious venues and more than 46,000 Buddhists in Tibet. The region has 358 living Buddhas, of whom more than 60 were newly incarnated according to customs and religious rituals.